


But Why Space?

by Berrychi84



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Claustrophobia, Gen, possible hints of Stony if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2013-02-25
Packaged: 2017-12-03 14:12:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/699114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Berrychi84/pseuds/Berrychi84
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony said he had a surprise. Tony said everything was going to be fine.<br/>Tony is a terrible liar, and Steve needs to make better friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	But Why Space?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Second on my list for my Fic Challenge, and its dberl who writes: "I challenge you to challenge yourself. Tony and Steve. IN SPACE! Only Subtext."

          It was innocent chatting. They were talking about places they had visited, (obviously, Tony had been to far more places) and about places they wished to go. Tony wished for fantasy places, things like oasis’s where women wore very little and waited on him all day. Steve, on the other hand, looked abashed and said "Well, I've always kind of wanted to go to the moon."

Steve soon learned two things; never assume oasis’s with scantly clad women are fantasy, and never tell Tony Stark you want to visit the moon.

  
  


The day started out normal. Steve was up at 7, already washed and headed for his morning coffee. He had planned out his usual routine: head to the gym after breakfast, work out until 10 before going for a 2 hour jog, then see who is awake at lunch and what the plans for the day was. What he wasn't planning on was Tony to already be in the kitchen waiting for him with a bag, and a cup of coffee all ready to go.

Tony smiles. "Good morning, Cap'. Great day, isn't it? Coffee is there, but be quick about it. We have a plane to catch."

          "A plane? Where are we headed? Did Fury already brief you on a mission?" He picks up his cup, waiting to be handed a folder. He's given the handle of the bag instead.

          "Nope, its a surprise. Its our day off, remember? Bruce is on some nature hike in Canada, Barton and Natasha are on some S.H.I.E.L.D. camping trip they think they can hide from me, and our neighbourhood God is off with his lady friend. Which means... " Tony takes the coffee from Steve's hands before he's even been allowed a sip. "You're all mine for the next oh....48 hours."

          "What if I have other plans? Tony, you can't just decide everything for me-"

          "Can and  _have,_ big guy. Don't worry, two days away from the gym isn't going to shrink your arms any." He gives the blonde a look over. "Though, it might help if you want to fit on the plane. Jeez, what are you feeding those things?"

Steve rolls his eyes, taking the mug back from the shorted man and takes a gulp before setting it back down on the counter. "Fine. So its a vacation, where are we going?"

Tony's grin spreads wider. "I told you, its a  _surprise_."

  
  


He should have said he hated surprises. Should have argued more about wanting to say home and have time to himself. But Steve knows Tony can see through Steve's lies. He's never really been good at lying. The ride to the airport is silent- which should have been off-putting, seeing as Tony has a problem with mouth diarrhea whenever he is around the taller man. It isn't until the car stops that Tony finally says something.

          "Here, tie this around your eyes." Steve looks down at the blind fold he's being handed.

          "What? No! Why do I have to blindfold myself? We're just getting on a plane."

          "Yes, but the plane is part of the surprise, and I don't want to give away where we're headed. C'mon, I thought you were all for adventure?" The smile on his face is somehow calming, even if Steve isn't so convinced.

He gives in, tying the fabric around his eyes tightly before sighing. "Alright, lead the way. If you let me trip over anything, I'm never trusting you again, Stark."

Tony laughs at this, taking his arm and walks him across what Steve assumes is an apron towards a hangar. He's thankful Tony flies privately, as the only time he's ever flown with an airlines was on a vacation he tried to take on his own that ended quite abruptly as soon as Steve got a look at the aircraft and the amount of people they were trying to fit on it. He will never admit it out loud, but since waking up from his sleep in the ice, Steve has never been fond of small places. Flying was a stretch, but it came with the job and he could punch out the sick feelings later at the gym.

He bumps shoulders with Tony as they stop and Steve can hear hydraulics working, which he assumes is the aircraft's hatch opening. He's lead up a flight of stairs and told to duck as he enters the plane. He's reaching to take off the blindfold when Tony stop him. 

          "Not yet! At least take a seat first, don't want you touching crap with your golem hands." Steve makes a frustrated sound.

          "Then seat me already." He sounded agitated, even to himself. But it seemed to do the trick, as he is lead to his left and walked down a short flight of stairs before being told to sit. Steve all but rips the blindfold off and looks around. It doesn't look like any aircraft he's ever been on, there are no windows or rows of seats. Just eight, situated in twos on either side of a walk way. The interior looks mostly of dull plastic, but if Tony had any say in the design of the plane, it probably wasn't.

          "What kind of plane is this? Its even smaller than your usual jets."

The genius grins at him, leaning against the chair behind him. "That's because this is new. This is its first trial run, actually. You're very lucky." Steve didn't feel lucky.

          "First run? I'd hardly call this safe, Tony. I mean, even if you did build it-"

          "I did."

          "-yes, even so... its not exactly protocol to bring people on test runs of your inventions."

Tony scoffs. "Its not like I'm bringing families and tourists. Well, just one. You, but that's it." He motions around the room. "You, me and JARVIS, and I promise he's a brilliant co-pilot."

          "Wait,  _co-pilot_?! You're flying us to...where ever the heck you're taking me?" The brunette gave him a testing look, arching an eyebrow up his forehead. "Okay, yes, I know you can fly. Its just....the last time I got on an air plane being flown by a Stark, I was being told to jump out while we were nearly being shot down."

          "Well, lucky for you I'm not my father, and we aren't in a war zone. Now relax, put on your seat harness and listen to your captain. Which, for this trip, is me. Not you."

Steve huffs his response, looking down at his seat and the restrains attached to it. "A little much, don't you think? How many G's are you planning on pulling in this thing?" He had said it in a joking tone, but the smile on Tony's face and the wink he gets as the man walks away tells him the question is quite literal. Steve quickly buckles himself into the chair and cranes his neck to see where the other man has walked off to.

          "Is it really necessary for me to sit back here? Why can't I sit up there with you?"

The sound of hydraulics moving again catches his attention and he turns to watch as the hatch closes and seals tightly. Lights dim a bit in the cabin as Tony's voice over the loud speaker sounds.

          "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We're just getting ready to taxi out onto the runway. If you look up to the overhead compartments above you, you will see an air mask. I suggest you put that on now, Rogers."

          "Tony, this isn't funny. What is going on, where are we going?"

All he gets is silence, and Steve really has to fight with himself not to get out of the chair and walk up to the cockpit to slap the man around a little. He quickly reaches up and grabs the mask as the plane starts to move, pulling it over his face. Trusting Tony had been an on-going fight from the get-go, and Stark wasn't making it easier for Steve to put his faith in him. Steve can feel sweat start to form behind his ears, fingers tapping the arm rests in discomposure, and he decides to try Tony one more time.

          "You've got exactly ten seconds to tell me where we are going, or I am coming in there and shutting this plane down."

Tony laughs into the mic. "Cap', we've got about ten seconds until lift off, so if you want to do the count down--"

          "Lift off?!"

          "No, not yet. That comes after one, and we're only at- well, now we are almost at- Okay, lift off works."

The aircraft picks up speed, and Steve can feel himself getting pressed further and further into his seat before the front tips up and he can feel the plane rise gently into the air, nose pointing higher and higher. The cabin is rattling and Steve can really feel the pressure now, making him wonder exactly how fast Tony has this thing going. He can feel the arms of the seat crack underneath the pressure of his grip and he tries to ease up, shutting his eyes and starts to count down from a hundred. Steve continues to count until the aircraft levels out, which is at negative 57, and breathes a long sigh, opening his eyes.

          "Tony....."

          "Sorry, take off is a little bumpy, huh? How you holding out back there, did you need to use the barf bag?"

          "Not funny." Steve clicks off the buckles of the seat harness and gets out of his chair, walking towards the cockpit. "Tony, open this door."

          "Okay, but promise to be surprised?"

          "I promise not to break your nose right off the--" As the door slides open, all words catch in the back of Steve's throat. He takes a few steps forward and stops, mouth dropping open.

Tony looks up from the pilot seat, looking too happy with himself. "We aren't there, but uh...welcome to space, Steve."

Black; that's the first thing Steve takes note of. Everything is so dark, yet so bright. He manages to fumble his way into the co-pilots seat as he continues staring out the window, suddenly feeling very small.

        "We're....you... _why_..?"

        "You said you've never been to the moon, and coincidentally, neither have I. Unfortunately, while Fury can't stop me from making a space craft, he can stop me from actually landing on the moon." Tony frowns. "Does he actually think I'd accidentally blow it up or something? Anyway, the best I could do was negotiate with the Russians on letting us dock at the Space Station for a bit. Sorry, no moon for us yet."

Steve can hardly process what the other man is saying, still taken back by the view all around him. He manages to finally tear his eyes away to look at him, swallowing to clear his throat. "I... I don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't even cover it- this... this is amazing Tony!"

As much as he hates feeding Tony's ego, Steve thinks the man deserves the compliments today. He looks pleased, giving Steve a smile that is usually saved for after battles. One of those fond looks that are getting increasingly more common, and Steve can't be bothered to wonder why. "Glad you're happy, Cap'."

  
  


They fly the rest of the way there in silence, Tony flipping different switches and pressing buttons Steve could never dream of figuring all out. It only takes about three hours to catch up to the ISS, Steve rising excitedly out of his seat the moment he spots it. He feels like a kid again, nearly bouncing off the walls before a trip to Coney Island. Although this trip might beat out every other trip he's ever been on. As they dock, Tony turns his attention to Steve.

          "You've never been weightless, have you?" Steve shakes his head. "Jeez, I'm getting to take all your firsts, huh? First trip to space, first anti-gravity walk-"

          "Tony, I like you, but please don't ruin this and shut up."

 


End file.
